Review: MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET at Broadway Rose

It took a hot minute to find my socks after MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, now running at Broadway Rose, knocked them clean off.

This came as a surprise to me. With a book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET is inspired by a jam session among Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. I knew the famous names (Perkins excepted) and some of the music (mostly Elvis’s), but I'm a little too young to have caught the mania firsthand. I expected an entertaining night out, not to be completely blown away.

The musical tells how Sam Phillips, founder of Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, essentially launched rock and roll by discovering and producing the early records of the four musicians. The action unfolds over a single night, December 4, 1956, when Phillips brings them together to play.

Tension simmers from the start. Elvis, who has since left Sun for RCA, recently sang Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes" on Ed Sullivan, much to Perkins' displeasure. Cash's contract with the label is about to expire. And Lewis, a cocky upstart from Louisiana, has just burst onto the scene, talking big and playing the piano even bigger. But the drama is mostly a frame for the real draw: getting to hear these artists’ greatest hits.

A trustworthy source told me that Broadway Rose had wanted to stage this show for some time but was waiting to find the right talent. However long it sat on the wish list, this cast was worth the wait.

I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Hunter Semrau, who plays Jerry Lee Lewis. He's a ticking time bomb of energy, and he unleashes it on the piano in sweeping flourishes and acrobatics that seem to defy the laws of physics. Semrau has toured this show nationally, and his performance alone is worth much more than the price of the ticket.

Ben Bailey brings a great voice and charismatic energy to Carl Perkins, the father of rockabilly. Luke Surretsky, a dead ringer for young Johnny Cash, was a crowd favorite as soon as he opened his mouth. Diego Solan Kjelland delivers a combination of swagger and innocence to the young Elvis Presley. Rounding out the main cast, Kai de Mello-Folsom keeps the story moving as Sam Phillips, and Kaley McConnaughey, as Elvis's girlfriend Dyanne, does justice to a couple of sultry numbers.

A show like this lives or dies by the musical performances, and Broadway Rose's production delivers on its promise a hundred times over. 

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET runs through October 25. The run is sold out, but cancellations happen. If your schedule is flexible, it's well worth trying to snag a seat, if only to watch Semrau perform seemingly impossible feats at the piano. Details and tickets here.

Reader Reviews

To post a comment, you must register and login.